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United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development

Investments for Future Water Managers

North American Youth Parliament for Water - Canada (
Non-governmental organization (NGO)
)
#SDGAction50660
    Description
    Description

    Investments for infrastructure improvement must address the current vulnerabilities of communities. Youth are the future water managers of the diverse communities that need these interventions and infrastructure projects. Job training and employer market openness to the coming wave of water managers will help ensure that today’s water projects are managed for our future. To ensure that these projects benefit communities across North America and benefit from the support of nearby communities, industries should also actively seek that their future water managers look like the communities they are supporting. Future efforts for water projects should focus on delivering multifaceted benefits that meet the needs of diverse interest groups and local communities. Gone should be the days when only a limited number or type of experts are consulted when planning water development projects. In North America, we have experience with how short-sighted such an approach is.

    The objective of this initiative is to provide training, develop networks and enhance the ability of youth and young professionals to receive job training and enter the job market with the required skills to succeed in developing water infrastructure necessary to solve the pressing water issues of the 21st century. This initiative will be implemented with virtual workshops and training sessions by water experts and professionals for youth 18-35 years of age. It will also include on-the-ground, in-person networking sessions and field tours to allow youth to learn about the work done by local industries to solve water issues and develop infrastructure. This will also include working directly with organizations to develop positions available only for youth as seen with the youth position developed by the NAYPW on the Board of Directors for the Benton Soil and Water Conservation District.

    Expected Impact

    This action will accelerate the implementation of SDG 5 - Gender Equality, SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation, and SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth. Target 5.5 is to ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life. This program will particularly target the role that women play as water caretakers, and through targeted outreach and the inclusion of women-led sessions, training opportunities and women-identifying experts, will ensure the full participation of women-identifying youth and young professionals. It will also promote the inclusion of women within the water industry.

    Target 8.6 states that by 2020 the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training will be substantially reduced. While this target was to be achieved by 2020, this program will continue to accelerate and reduce barriers to youth employment, education or training as it relates to the water industry. The different opportunities within the program will provide youth with the opportunity to gain experience in water industries and thereby reduce the likelihood of future unemployment. It will also increase their education and training opportunities.

    Target 6.B supports and strengthens the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management. As well, target 6.5 focuses on the implementation of integrated water resources management (IWRM) at all levels. IWRM specifically looks at the inclusion of all individuals in a watershed or basin; this includes youth and young professionals. This program will help implement IWRM by developing positions specifically for youth and young professionals to engage in water decision-making opportunities within organizations. It will strengthen the participation of local communities to develop water infrastructure and promote sustainable development.

    Partners

    North American Youth Parliament for Water - USA
    World Youth Parliament for Water

    Additional information

    This is the list of the Board of Directors for Benton Soil and Water Conservation District. Henry Pitts is the current youth representative. https://bentonswcd.org/about/board-directors/board-profiles/

    Goal 5

    Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

    Goal 5

    5.1

    End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere

    5.1.1

    Whether or not legal frameworks are in place to promote, enforce and monitor equality and non‑discrimination on the basis of sex

    5.2

    Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation
    5.2.1

    Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by form of violence and by age

    5.2.2

    Proportion of women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to sexual violence by persons other than an intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by age and place of occurrence

    5.3

    Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation
    5.3.1

    Proportion of women aged 20-24 years who were married or in a union before age 15 and before age 18

    5.3.2

    Proportion of girls and women aged 15-49 years who have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting, by age

    5.4

    Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate

    5.4.1

    Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work, by sex, age and location

    5.5

    Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life

    5.5.1

    Proportion of seats held by women in (a) national parliaments and (b) local governments

    5.5.2

    Proportion of women in managerial positions

    5.6

    Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences

    5.6.1

    Proportion of women aged 15-49 years who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use and reproductive health care

    5.6.2

    Number of countries with laws and regulations that guarantee full and equal access to women and men aged 15 years and older to sexual and reproductive health care, information and education

    5.a

    Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws

    5.a.1

    (a) Proportion of total agricultural population with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land, by sex; and (b) share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure

    5.a.2

    Proportion of countries where the legal framework (including customary law) guarantees women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control

    5.b

    Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women
    5.b.1

    Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex

    5.c

    Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels

    5.c.1

    Proportion of countries with systems to track and make public allocations for gender equality and women’s empowerment

    Goal 6

    Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

    Goal 6

    6.1

    By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all

    6.1.1

    Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services

    6.2

    By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations

    6.2.1

    Proportion of population using (a) safely managed sanitation services and (b) a hand-washing facility with soap and water

    6.3

    By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally

    6.3.1

    Proportion of domestic and industrial wastewater flows safely treated

    6.3.2

    Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality

    6.4

    By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity
    6.4.1

    Change in water-use efficiency over time

    6.4.2

    Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources

    6.5

    By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate

    6.5.1

    Degree of integrated water resources management 

    6.5.2

    Proportion of transboundary basin area with an operational arrangement for water cooperation

    6.6

    By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes
    6.6.1

    Change in the extent of water-related ecosystems over time

    6.a

    By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies
    6.a.1

    Amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance that is part of a government-coordinated spending plan

    6.b

    Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management

    6.b.1

    Proportion of local administrative units with established and operational policies and procedures for participation of local communities in water and sanitation management

    Goal 8

    Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

    Goal 8

    8.1

    Sustain per capita economic growth in accordance with national circumstances and, in particular, at least 7 per cent gross domestic product growth per annum in the least developed countries
    8.1.1

    Annual growth rate of real GDP per capita

    8.2

    Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors

    8.2.1

    Annual growth rate of real GDP per employed person

    8.3

    Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services

    8.3.1

    Proportion of informal employment in total employment, by sector and sex

    8.4

    Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production, with developed countries taking the lead

    8.4.1

    Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP

    8.4.2

    Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP

    8.5

    By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value
    8.5.1

    Average hourly earnings of female and male employees, by occupation, age and persons with disabilities

    8.5.2

    Unemployment rate, by sex, age and persons with disabilities

    8.6

    By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training
    8.6.1

    Proportion of youth (aged 15-24 years) not in education, employment or training

    8.7

    Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms

    8.7.1

    Proportion and number of children aged 5‑17 years engaged in child labour, by sex and age

    8.8

    Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment

    8.8.1

    Fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 workers, by sex and migrant status

    8.8.2

    Level of national compliance with labour rights (freedom of association and collective bargaining) based on International Labour Organization (ILO) textual sources and national legislation, by sex and migrant status

    8.9

    By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products

    8.9.1

    Tourism direct GDP as a proportion of total GDP and in growth rate

    8.10

    Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all

    8.10.1

    (a) Number of commercial bank branches per 100,000 adults and (b) number of automated teller machines (ATMs) per 100,000 adults

    8.10.2

    Proportion of adults (15 years and older) with an account at a bank or other financial institution or with a mobile-money-service provider

    8.a

    Increase Aid for Trade support for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, including through the Enhanced Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries
    8.a.1

    Aid for Trade commitments and disbursements

    8.b

    By 2020, develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment and implement the Global Jobs Pact of the International Labour Organization

    8.b.1

    Existence of a developed and operationalized national strategy for youth employment, as a distinct strategy or as part of a national employment strategy

    Name Description
    Virtual Job Training - Virtual job trainings and conversations with experts will begin in September 2023 and provide bi-monthly job trainings and networking opportunities to youth and young professionals.
    Youth Knowledge and Education - Knowledge transfer for youth and young professional audiences, with emphasis on information in water industries, training opportunities, job openings, and informal learning opportunities offered outside of our organization.
    Youth Leadership Positions - Developing youth leadership and skill building positions within the NAYPW and related projects. The NAYPW worked with the Benton Soil and Water Conservation District to develop a youth position on their Board of Director
    In-Person Networking Sessions - Within local communities, the NAYPW will host in-person networking sessions to connect youth and young professionals with established professionals in local water industries.
    Staff / Technical expertise
    A youth project manager will be recruited to run and coordinate projects including a joint project between the NAYPW, International Secretariat for Water and Mohawk Council of Akwesasne.
    Staff / Technical expertise
    Water experts and professionals will be asked to donate their time to training, participating in workshops and sharing knowledge with the next generation of water leaders.
    In-kind contribution
    Resources such as event spaces, food, etc. will be donated to assist with the on-the-ground training activities.
    Financing (in USD)
    Financing will be used for scholarships to support underrepresented youth looking to participate in education opportunities. This would focus on reducing financial barriers to education and job training.
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    Timeline
    01 May 2023 (start date)
    26 April 2024 (date of completion)
    Entity
    North American Youth Parliament for Water - Canada
    SDGs
    5 6 8
    Region
    1. North America
    Other beneficiaries

    Youth and Young Professionals across North America

    More information
    Countries
    Canada
    Canada
    United States of America
    United States of America
    Contact Information

    North American, NAYPW